Manicure Monday: Sweet Pea

I was really naughty last week.

I tripped and fell onto the Selfridges website and before I knew it my basket was full, card details entered and a confirmation email was comfortably sitting in my inbox. A few days ago a beautiful yellow package was delivered by the postman, and I opened it to discover a selection of the nail polishes I've been lusting over all summer.

As summer draws to a close I felt this collection from Ciaté should be the first I tried, because as soon as autumn takes hold - which should be sooner rather than later given the horrendous weather this Bank Holiday - I'll be putting all of my neon and pastel shades towards the back of my collection and pulling dusky pinks, deep lilacs, pillar-box reds and forest greens (if I'm feeling daring…) to the front.

As soon as I spotted this set of 5 mini polishes I knew I had to try it. I've been considering trying Ciaté before but never had a good reason, so this adorable Dolls House collection of 5 pale pastel shades seemed too perfect to pass up. The colours featured heavily on the S/S 14 runway, making these very on trend and the exact colours I want on my nails to finish off the summer!

I picked Sweet Pea - an icy mint green - as it struck me as incredibly similar to Essie's Mint Candy Apple but a much more subtle green. My one criticism of MCA was how bold it was, so I really hoped this would end up being the perfect alternative and much more 'me'. It really, really is. It's so pale it's practically white, which is something I absolutely love!

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.bellasugar.com)

When I bought the collection I didn't really read the description so wasn't aware of how the formula was supposed to dry… It's a matte "porcelain" finish and when dry it honestly looks similar to chalk, which was incredibly disappointing to start with as I much prefer a glossy finish as I think it looks more professional and a lot neater. I did initially apply a top coat, but as with last week's Calvin Klein, my Essie Good to Go started giving my nails a horrid yellow tinge around 12 hours after application. I added another coat of Sweet Pea to cover it up, and now the matte look is starting to grow on me.

My main criticism is that it chips really, really easily and takes 4 coats to achieve an even, streak-free finish. Also, due to the quick-dry formula the polish doesn't spread and neaten itself up at all, so each stroke of the brush has to be spot on or expect to be going round with remover afterwards patching up any mistakes (like I did…). It dries within seconds, though, so it's ideal for a night out or if you're tight for time and want a splash of colour on your nails.

Although the matte is growing on me I'm honestly still not too sure how I feel about it… I love the colour, it's just the formula I'm a little unsure of for the moment! What do you think about matte polishes? They've been big in 2014 but do you think it's a trend that'll last or one you just can't wait to see the back of? Let me know in the comments below or drop me a tweet!